Moving On
by crazyabouthp17
Summary: The Battle of Hogwarts is over, and Voldemort is dead. But how do Hermione and the gang put their lives back together? Will anything ever be the same? Hermione/Blaise Hermione/Fred M RATING - don't like don't read.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone, **

**So this is a new story for me. **

**I wanted to explore Hermione's recovery after the Battle of Hogwarts, especially because I'm really interested in the idea that Hermione and Fred could have been in a relationship. So here's my take on that. **

**Enjoy. **

"Here, let me help you."

It is an unfamiliar voice, and a hand picks up her trunk. Hermione looks up to see Blaise looking down at her and he gives a nod. "Alright, Granger?" he says quietly.

She smiles tentatively up at him, replying, "I'm fine, thank you, Blaise. You?"He nods again and is about to disappear into the train when she catches his wrist. "Blaise. I hope we can be civil this year."

An honest smile spreads across his face and he replies, "So do I. I'm sorry about your parents. And I wanted to congratulate you on receiving that." He points to the badge on her chest, reading HEAD GIRL in big letters.

She beams now and says, "Thank you very much. Well, I'll see you around?"

He nods again, puts a gentle hand on her shoulder and then disappears onto the train without another word.

From down the train, he watches as she makes her way back over to the two oldest Weasley brothers, accompanied by one half of the twins and the Weasley girl, who is also returning to Hogwarts. Potter and Weasel it appears are not coming back. They each hug her tightly and gesture over to where they were standing only moments before. He hears George say, "Let me know if anyone gives you any trouble, Mione. I'll write to you next week." Bill and Charlie agree and kiss her on the forehead, before Ginny drags her onto the train.

"Alright, Hermione?" Ginny asks quietly.

Hermione nods, smiling broadly, before hugging her close and explaining, "I have to go to the Prefects' carriage to meet the Head Boy, but I'll come find you later, yeah?"

Ginny nods and Luna appears, dragging her off down the train.

Hermione walks sedately to her carriage, sitting on one of the seats and putting her legs up beside her. Only minutes later, the door slides open and Blaise enters, sitting opposite her. She raises an eyebrow and then realisation dawns on her face. She gives a small gasp and says, "Congratulations, Blaise. Oh I'm so stupid, how could I not have realised?"

He frowns and says, "Granger, the last thing you are is stupid. Thank you though." She smiles softly and stretches her legs out on the seat next to her.

He raises an eyebrow now, and she blushes before saying, "We'll be sharing quarters all this year. I better get used to being comfortable around you."

He smirks and stands up, moving to the door, and saying, "Well, if that's all, Granger, I will see you later this evening."

She nods and replies quietly, "Yes, Blaise, but please. Call me Hermione." He winks at her and walks out, leaving her flustered.

Hermione returns to sit with Ginny and Luna and Neville and when Ginny asks, "So who's the head boy?" she blushes bright red and murmurs her answer.

All three of them raise their eyebrows in question and she repeats, "Blaise Zabini, from Slytherin."

Ginny immediately blushes scarlet and Luna giggles, causing Neville to look around at them in confusion. Ginny explains, "He's the most beautiful boy in the whole school, and Hermione has to share her quarters with him." Neville frowns but as Luna and Ginny dissolve into giggles again, he says nothing, instead pulling out a Herbology book.

A few hours later, Blaise walks past. He nods curtly at Hermione, who smiles back, managing to stop herself from blushing. Following behind him is a small blond boy, who sticks his head in the door and says, "Granger. Congrats."

She nods and he opens his mouth to speak again but she cuts him off, saying, "Draco. I know. It's ok. Let's just put it behind us." He nods and continues down the corridor, but Blaise ducks behind him and sticks his head in the door, winking at Hermione, before walking away.

Ginny blushes scarlet and Neville says, "I just don't get it. I don't get it."

As Ginny begins to reel off all of Zabini's qualities that make him a desirable partner, starting with, "He's a hot Italian," Hermione leans her head against the glass and stares after him, wondering when the Slytherins became human beings.

They had got off the train and into Hogwarts in no time. Luna disappears into a crowd of Ravenclaw girls – her popularity had shot up since the Battle of Hogwarts when everyone saw how amazing she was.

Hermione, Ginny and Neville sit down at the Gryffindor table, and Dean slides up next to Hermione, slipping an arm round her shoulder in a greeting. Seamus kisses Ginny on the forehead and Dennis Creevey walks past, clapping Neville on the arm as he does. From across the hall, old members of the DA raise hands of greeting and Hermione nods again to Draco and Blaise.

Professor McGonagall makes a short speech, honouring those 50 who could not return to join them this year. Blaise looks across the hall to see tears streaming down Hermione's cheeks, as she mentions Lavender Brown, and Colin Creevey, but when she begins to speak of the others who gave their lives, Hermione disappears out of the room in floods of tears. Instinctively Blaise rises and follows her, listening carefully as McGonagall's voice echoes out of the hall, naming Severus Snape, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, and Fred Weasley… The list goes on and on, but he walks out into the Entrance Hall to see the girl sitting on the stairs, weeping uncontrollably.

He slips an arm around her shoulders and she falls onto his chest, not speaking at all. When McGonagall's voice finally cuts out, Hermione sits up to see Blaise gazing at her and she gasps, "Oh Blaise, I'm sorry you had to see that. I hate thinking about the war, but when she was going to mention Fred…I had to get out of there. Because I have to be strong, when everyone else is weak."

He nods in understanding and narrows his eyes, but still doesn't speak, kissing her forehead once and then walking back into the Great Hall and resuming his seat. Hermione sidles back into the hall, slipping her arms around Ginny, who is crying hard. Blaise feels a twinge of pity then, remembering how the girl has lost her brother. McGonagall claps her hands, food appears and she begins to walk around the hall. She puts a hand on Blaise's shoulder and says quietly, "Could you and Miss Granger meet me at the front of the hall at the end of the feast?" He nods curtly and she asks, "Is she ok?" He shakes his head once, but doesn't offer any further explanation, so McGonagall continues to walk.

She walks past the Hufflepuff table, putting a comforting hand on a few students' shoulders. She offers a tissue to Cho Chang and Luna Lovegood at Ravenclaw, and then reaches the Gryffindor table. The loss of this house is by far the greatest and almost all the students are crying or have been. Seamus and Padma, from Ravenclaw, are trying to soothe Parvati, Dean is comforting Dennis Creevey and Neville and Hermione are trying to comfort Ginny. Across the hall, teachers have moved to speak to students, all pretence of actually eating disregarded. McGonagall embraces Hermione and Ginny now, and fresh tears begin to fall down all three women's faces. Neville watches in surprise as Hermione manages to compose herself first and promises, "It'll all be ok. Harry and Ron are working with Kingsley to round up the last Death Eaters, and then the trials can begin."

The other two nod, and McGonagall wipes away her tears, before saying, "Miss Granger, could you meet me at the front of the hall at the end of the feast?" She nods and turns back to her table, moving to bring Parvati into an embrace.

Although it was customary to introduce new teachers at this feast, Professor McGonagall knew that none of the students were fit for that now. Returning to Hogwarts had been difficult enough after the Great Battle; they had lost over half of their number. So instead of welcoming the fresh faces to the school, she dismissed everyone and Hermione and Blaise walked to the front to meet her. "I just wanted to check first that you know where your quarters are?" They both nod, and she smiles tightly before saying, "Now, this is difficult. The tower…the tower of memories isn't officially open yet, but Miss Granger, I thought you might like to go up there. To approve it, before we open it to the student body."

To both McGonagall and Blaise's surprise, Hermione nods once and turns to Blaise, asking, "Will you come with me?" He nods and they find themselves at the base of the tower.

The first floor they go to is pictures of people who lost their lives in the first war. James and Lily Potter are among them and Hermione's eyes begin to fill with tears.

As they climb to the second floor, people who lost their lives in the second war, tears freely fall. He does not recognise them all but she clearly does. Cedric Diggory, Sirius Black, Albus Dumbledore, Amelia Bones, Alastor Moody, Rufus Scrimgeour, Ted Tonks, Dobby are all names under the pictures. She stops by each one, a smile spreading across her face as she remembers happy memories. He takes her hand then comfortingly and she squeezes it in acknowledgement before leading him up to the third floor.

People who died in the Battle of Hogwarts. Now tears are forming in Blaise's eyes as he sees the number of people who decorate the walls, and she spins to him in agony, saying, "I didn't even know their names. And they died for us." He moves to support her, not knowing what he would do, but she shrugs him off, weeping. Severus Snape, Vincent Crabbe, Fred Weasley, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Lavender Brown, Colin Creevey, and so many more that he doesn't even recognise.

"I wouldn't even know they went here if I walked past them in the street," he murmurs and she nods in agreement.

Every single picture she watches for a full five minutes, tears pouring as she laughs to herself. But when she reaches Snape, she crumples, murmuring, "I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry." The portrait Snape nods once and she nods back. Then she walks on, to Fred's portrait and she literally breaks. The portrait winks at her, and she dissolves in sobs, collapsing on the floor and watching him for ten minutes. Fred doesn't take his eyes off her for the whole period but eventually he gives a shake of his head and she gets to her feet. She takes Blaise's hand again and they walk up the steps to the fourth and final floor.

As she walks inside, she claps both hands to her mouth, gasping, and Blaise can't help but do the same. Every inch of the walls are covered in pensieves, each containing memories specific to one person in particular. She raises her wand to the side of her head and wanders round the room, extracting individual memories to pour into people's pensieves. As he watches, she sends a bolt of memories into Fred's pensieve, which becomes filled with images of them roaring with laughter, hugging and dancing and darker memories which he can't make out, Tonks gets pictures of her wedding and of the first time they saw her baby, Lupin has images of the first time they met, the amazing tuition he gave her and the day he came to announce he had a son, and Lavender has memories of the times spent giggling in the dorms. When she reaches Snape's pensieve, she extracts a single strand of memory, and places it in the pensieve. Thousands of images explode out of it, pictures of him and Lily, images of him teaching, and the agony of all the deaths he faced. Finally his death surfaces and Blaise begins to cry now, full-on sobbing. She nods, but doesn't say anything, continuing her memory tour of the room. When she finally finishes, they walk down to the bottom of the tower, where Professor McGonagall is waiting. She looks at them sympathetically, but Hermione is still too overwhelmed to speak, so Blaise simply says, "It is perfect, Headmistress. Equally moving and respectful. Everything they deserve."

She smiles and asks, "Maybe you could take Hermione back to your quarters?" Blaise nods and puts an arm around her shoulder, guiding her to their dorms.


	2. Chapter 2

2

When Blaise wakes up in the morning, he has a quick shower and with a towel slung loosely round his hips, he walks into the common room. Hermione is already up, over by the kettle, so he watches as she knocks back a straight shot of espresso, seemingly exhausted. She's wearing just a towel and her wet hair is loose and curly down her back. She spins then, shrieks in shock, promptly drops the towel, picks it up and runs out of the room, blushing scarlet. He doesn't see what all the fuss was about, she was wearing underwear under it after all, but she seems to be very embarrassed.

Half an hour later, she comes back into the room, now fully dressed and she apologises profusely. "Hermione it is fine," he says, walking into the centre of the room.

"Will you put some clothes on?!" she says angrily.

He raises an eyebrow but otherwise ignores the comment, asking, "Are you ok?"

She puts both hands on her hips and says defensively, "Yes, of course, why wouldn't I be?"

He rolls his eyes and replies, "Because you were in pieces last night, you look like you haven't slept and you were knocking back coffee earlier like your life depended on it." She folds her arms and is about to respond but he puts one hand on her arm and says, "You don't have to be strong in front of me."

She smiles, calmer now, and says, "I'll be fine. Just go and get dressed, Blaise." He is about to walk out but she blurts out, "Why do you care?" He stops but doesn't turn and after a few moments, he just continues walking. She blushes, quickly casts a glamour to cover the exhaustion and walks down to breakfast after calling, "Blaise, I'll see you later."

"Hermione how was your first night with the Italian god?" Ginny asks teasingly.

As Hermione opens her mouth to speak, behind her, Blaise answers, "We certainly saw a lot of each other."

She blushes crimson again, gives Blaise a playful shove and says, "Go away, you, I'll speak to you later." He winks at her and walks off. Ginny turns to Hermione in absolute awe, but Hermione shakes her head and murmurs, "I'll explain later."

After they had finished eating, McGonagall hands their timetables out, and Hermione sees that she has a class called Healing first. She narrows her eyes and raises her eyebrows at Professor McGonagall who says, "Give it a go, Granger. It's there to help you." All the seventh years make their way to the new ground floor classroom, where a young woman is sitting cross legged in the centre. "That's right, in you come," she says kindly and immediately half of them roll their eyes at being patronised.

They all sit on the floor and Hermione smirks to see her fellow classmates trying to get comfortable. Her eyes are drawn to Blaise, whose legs are comfortably stretched out in front of him. He looks thoroughly amused by the whole proceedings, but there is something in his eyes which looks very suspicious. He looks directly at her and gives a tiny nod of his head, reassuring her that she is not the only one with concerns. "I am Lucy," she says, and Hermione rolls her eyes again, never trusting a member of staff that only gives their first name. "Today we are going to go around the room and each share our worst memory." Immediately half the class groan, and Hermione frowns – this is not a good idea.

It starts with Draco, who admits, "I think my worst memory is when my father got sent to Azkaban. I didn't realise how little respect I had for him until that moment, and it sort of signified the end of my childhood." Hermione's eyes fill with tears of pity.

Parvati shares the horror she felt when her best friend was killed by a werewolf. Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott both share their memories of when they were told their closest family member had died. Cho remembers the moment she saw Cedric's corpse. Luna remembers the Malfoys' basement and the endless hours of silence and darkness.

Then it is Hermione's turn. She looks around the room, tears rolling down her cheeks, and says, "No. I'm not sharing." Lucy nods once and moves onto the next person.

Ginny takes Hermione's hand and says, "I think my worst is when I saw my brother, Fred, lying there dead. Some part of me just refused to believe it until… Bellatrix Lestrange tried to kill me. That's when it hit me, how real the danger was." It continues around the circle until it reaches Blaise, who looks at Hermione, then looks at Lucy and shakes his head, a silent refusal to play the game. It carries on going, but Hermione cannot tear her eyes from Blaise, wondering about his refusal.

At the end of the class, Lucy says, "Blaise, Hermione, could you remain behind?" Hermione stays seated on the floor, but Blaise moves to sit next to her, silently asking her a question in the empty room. She nods weakly, he gives a reassuring wink and then they both turn to Lucy, eyebrows raised in expressions of identical boredom. "You two are head of this school. You're supposed to set a good example to your peers. Sharing is caring, guys, it's good for you."

Hermione scoffs and Blaise says harshly, "We will share when we are ready. It's our process of recovery, not yours. And don't you dare use our positions against us – you have no idea of the traumas we faced."

With that, they both walk out, and Hermione says quietly, "I'm not going to those lessons again."

He nods in agreement and says, "See you later, Mione," and disappears down the corridor.

Hours later, at the end of the day, Blaise arrives back at their common room with Draco, to see Hermione emerging from her dorm in a sports bra and shorts. "I'm going for a run," she says in explanation.

He nods, putting a hand on her arm and saying, "Be careful." She nods and disappears, leaving the common room empty.

"Be careful?" Draco says scathingly and Blaise raises an eyebrow, quelling whatever mockery was about to come out of his mouth.

"Hermione Granger is the most brilliant witch I know. She is vulnerable at the moment." He doesn't expand anymore but Draco understands what he is trying to say. They sit down with a six pack of Butterbeers and talk for hours, but Blaise keeps one eye on the window, out of which he can see Hermione in the grounds. She is screaming and crying as she takes breaks from her run and he can see that this is her version of therapy. About three hours later, she returns, a fine sheen of sweat covering her bare skin. She sits at a nearby table, and gets out her textbooks, writing her Potions essay.

"Granger, why don't you come and have a drink with us?" Draco asks.

She shakes her head without turning, explaining, "I need to finish this essay. I've done the Arithmancy and the Transfiguration, but I decided to run before the Potions. I didn't think I'd be gone so long."

Blaise nods and says, "Maybe you should go, Draco." Draco walks out, and they sit in silence, only the sound of Hermione's quill scratching across the parchment. Blaise goes into his dorm, changes into a pair of tracksuit bottoms and says, "Hermione, do you want something to eat?" She shakes her head, but he frowns and moves to the kitchen, saying, "I'm gonna make you my pasta." She frowns, looking around at him, but he determinedly stares away, making the food as he says, "I'm not having you get ill." She goes back to her essay, hand flying across the page. About half an hour later, she rolls up the parchment and he says, "Just in time. It's done."

Sitting around the table, she takes the first mouthful and gasps. He gives the first true smile she's seen on his face and says, "It's an old family recipe."

She beams, shovelling it into her mouth and swallowing before saying, "It's amazing, Blaise, absolutely incredible. God, I wish I'd known you could cook before this." He smirks but doesn't comment, and she says, "Now look, I'm going out tomorrow night, with my girls. So if I stumble in here at like 3 o'clock in the morning, can you make sure I haven't dragged some random boy back?" Zabini nods instantly and stands, whisking her plate away, and walking into his room without another word.


	3. Chapter 3

3

The next evening, Blaise and Draco are sitting in their common room at about 7 o'clock when Hermione emerges, dressed for a night on the town. She's wearing a black sheer blouse, high waisted green shorts, black tights and patent black platforms with a six inch heel. Her hair is straight, and she has outlined her eyes with a thick black line. Both boys' mouths drop open but she doesn't seem to notice, saying, "Alright, Blaise, I'll see you later. Draco, try and do some work." She walks out and they stare after her in awe.

At three o'clock in the morning, Hermione stumbles in, giggling uncontrollably. She falls through the portrait hole, throws up all over the floor and lies next to it, until Blaise comes out of his dorm at the noise, rolling his eyes. "How much have you had?" he asks, frustrated, and she says, "6 shots of vodka, 6 shots of tequila and 8 cocktails." He rolls his eyes again and waves his wand, vanishing the sick; he picks her up, carrying her into her dorm. He puts her on her bed, and is about to walk away, when she catches him on the arm, saying, "Blaise, will you stay with me? I don't feel like sleeping alone tonight." She pulls him down onto the bed and he wraps an arm around her, holding her close. She says, "Why are you so nice to me? I don't deserve your niceness." He hugs her and murmurs, "Don't be ridiculous, you're like the nicest person I know." Hermione shakes her head, a tear rolling down her cheek and she says, "I've killed people. I've tortured people." He rolls his eyes and lifts her chin gently, so she's looking at him and he says, "Hermione, so have I. Everyone has, because of that goddamn war. But it doesn't make you any worse a person."

She struggles into a sitting position then, still in his arms, and says, "That's easy for you to say. You're perfect. You're like the most beautiful person alive." He chuckles at her brashness and replies gently, "Actually, Mi, I think you're the most beautiful person alive." She smiles and says, "You're the first guy since … since the war that I've wanted to go out with, you know." He kisses her forehead and answers, "Maybe we should talk about this when you're sober?" She reaches up, kisses him and then buries her head in his chest, falling asleep almost instantly. Soon after, Blaise falls asleep, but not before he notices how natural it feels to have her in his arms.

That morning, he wakes first and goes down to the kitchen, making Hermione a cup of coffee. He wakes her and she lets out a groan. "Attractive," he teases sarcastically, handing her the cup and walking out of the room. She clambers up and stands in the door frame of his room as he changes, asking, "Did you sleep in my room last night?" He grins slightly at the wall before spinning and saying, "Yeah, I put you to bed like you told me to. But you wouldn't let me go." She blushes and says, "I'm so sorry, Blaise, I get really honest and clingy when I'm drunk. Thanks for not taking advantage." She flits across the room, kisses him on the cheek, and says, "Well, I'm gonna go back to bed." He stops her before she leaves and says, "Hey, Mi, can I take you out for lunch?" She smiles and says, "Sure. I'd like that."

A few hours later, she enters the common room and says, "Ready to go?" He looks up from his Defence homework and smiles. She's wearing a fluffy cream jumper, short black skirt and the same black platforms, exposing her tan legs. He stands, takes her hand and together they walk out of the castle and into Hogsmeade. They find themselves in a small restaurant, and after deciding to share a pizza, they move smoothly into conversation. Hermione finds herself surprised at how much she enjoys his company; it's almost as if they've been friends their whole lives. He is very open, telling her about his childhood in Italy. They tease each other mercilessly, picking up on every little mistake. When he pulls her close to him, tickling her playfully, she hugs him back and says, "Thank you for cheering me up." He winks at her, silently telling her that he would do it anytime, and puts money down, before chasing her out of the restaurant. They run through the grass up to the school, Hermione whipping off her shoes, so she can get away from him. As they sprint through the Entrance Hall, they are stopped by Professor McGonagall. Hermione immediately sobers up, but Blaise can't wipe the smile off his face, and the headmistress says, "Right, I need to see both of you after classes on Monday. And calm down please; remember you're setting an example to the younger years."

Hermione bursts into tears of laughter as soon as she disappears and says, "Gosh, Blaise, you're setting a bad example." He shoves her teasingly and she runs away again, sprinting back to their quarters, howling with laughter all the way. Ginny and Neville watch as they shoot past them, and Neville murmurs, "At least she's smiling for once."

Hermione stops when she gets to the common room, chucks her shoes into her dorm and throws her arms around Blaise's neck, before saying, "Thanks for today. I had fun." He nods happily and she sits at a table, summoning parchment and a quill, before beginning to write letters home. Blaise does his five essays and when he finally finishes, he looks up to see the seven letters all waiting to be posted. He gets up and looks at the names, reading, "Bill. Charlie. Molly. George. Harry. Ron. Kingsley. Kingsley? Kingsley Shacklebolt?" When she nods, he asks, "Why are you writing to the Minister for Magic?"

She raises an eyebrow and explains, "Kingsley and I are very good friends. He likes to consult me on new laws, but I'm a bit behind on my correspondence. Right, I'm gonna go post these and then I'm gonna catch up on some sleep – I'm shattered." He nods in agreement, and kisses her forehead, before moving into his room and calling, "Night!"


	4. Chapter 4

4

The next morning, they decide to walk down to breakfast together. It's warm for October, but luckily the seventh years don't have to wear uniforms so Blaise is wearing a green polo-shirt with khaki shorts, while Hermione is wearing a red strappy vest with high waisted denim shorts and red high-tops with concealed wedges. She smiles at him as she walks out of her room, and says, "Have you done the Potions?" He nods and they begin a conversation about the difficulties they faced with the essay. When they enter the Great Hall, he says, "I'll see you back in the common room when we're supposed to be in Healing?" She shakes her head and asks, "Can we go up the tower?" He gives a kind nod, squeezes her wrist tightly and walks over to the Slytherin table.

Hermione sits down next to Ginny, who frowns slightly and hands her a copy of the Daily Prophet. "You need to see this," she says hesitantly, and Hermione unfolds the paper to see the massive headline, 'HOGWARTS'S GOLDEN GIRL REVEALED' with two pictures of her on the cover. One is of her out on the lash, drunk out of her mind, and the other is of her looking very professional but laughing her head off and practically sitting on Blaise's lap. She blushes and begins to read the article, but stops about two lines in, scoffing. "Hermione, this is serious. They're making you out to be some sort of whore, and if you actually read it, they're blaming the war, saying you've gone mad," Neville says and she spins to him in a rage.

"Who wrote the article?" she spits furiously and when Neville murmurs that it was in fact Rita Skeeter, she flies across the room to the Slytherin table, says something angrily to Blaise and they both disappear. Rumours fly around the hall and Professor McGonagall stands, saying, "Students. As you all know, everyone has been affected by the war in different ways and if these rumours are in fact true, we must give Miss Granger the privacy she deserves. She had it harder than any of us, and we must honour the sacrifices she made by respecting and supporting her." Everyone nods, and McGonagall sweeps out of the room, going straight to the Heads' quarters.

As she enters, only Blaise looks round. Hermione is furiously scrawling across parchment, quill puncturing holes with every other word. "Calm down, Mi, it needs to be legible," he says calmly and she lets out a growl but does slow down. "Who is she writing to?" McGonagall asks, but Hermione is the one who answers, as she signs off and quickly rolls up the parchment. "I am writing to Kingsley. I want Rita Skeeter fired – all she has ever done is made people's lives a misery and she's the last thing needed in the world right now. I'm not a whore, Professor, I went out once, and that thing with Blaise-" but Professor McGonagall cuts her off, placing a soothing hand on her arm and saying, "Hermione, I know you're not. The article is codswallop, anyone can see that. Why don't you go down to the Ministry and speak to Kingsley yourself? And don't worry about that meeting tonight; it's not important anymore. " Hermione nods and steps into the fire, vanishing instantly. "Right, Blaise, shouldn't you be off to Healing?" He shakes his head, explaining softly, "We had a problem with the class last time. We're gonna use the time to recover in our own way. Mi wanted to go up the tower this morning – I might go anyway. I have memories of my own to share." The Headmistress nods calmly and is about to walk out when Hermione reappears, swiftly followed by Bill, Charlie, George, Harry and Kingsley.

"Alright, Professor?" George says cheekily, and he winks at her. They all look at Blaise and frown but Hermione says, "Guys, he's cool. He's been so supportive since I've been back." Charlie slips an arm round her waist, and says, "It is ok, Mione, we're here. It'll all be ok." Kingsley gives a nod and then says, "What do you want me to do?" Suddenly she looks around as if she's heard a loud noise and asks, "Where's Ronald?" All five of them grimace and Bill explains quietly, "He's angry at you for going out with a Slytherin." She pulls a face, turns to Blaise, who shrugs, and then she says, "We weren't going out, we were just going out. Not that it's any of his business anyway; he's the one who dumped me!" Her eyes fill with angry tears and everyone moves to her side, but to their shock, it's Blaise who gets there first and he calms her down before saying, "You can give your brother a punch in the face from me. Can we get back to the matter at hand?" Everyone nods and Hermione sits, saying quietly, "Blaise, why don't you go to the tower? I'll meet you in Potions." He nods, kissing her forehead and then disappearing, swiftly followed by McGonagall.

"I want you to fire that cow. I want the Ministry to issue you a formal apology. I'm not having my name in the mud before my career has even started," she says and Kingsley tilts his head, before explaining, "The Ministry issuing an apology will make it seem like we've got something to hide. What I propose is an interview with the people close to you, showing the world how lovely you actually are. It'll be easier." She gives a small nod and he moves to the fire, saying officially, "Right, Miss Granger, if that's all. Mr Potter, if we could start with you. Bill, Charlie, George, you need to get back to work." He puts one foot in the fire and winks at her, murmuring, "Chin up," before disappearing completely. She beams, hugs the four men goodbye and then collapses on the sofa.

Moments later, Blaise enters and sits beside her, throwing an arm round her shoulder but looking away from her defiantly. "Blaise?" she says questioningly, but he shakes his head, fixing his gaze on a painting. She puts a gentle hand under his chin and spins his head to face her, unsurprised to see his eyes brimming. "Blaise, it is ok to cry, you know. I do it all the time." He gives a nod and pulls her into his chest so she can't see him break. She knows he is sobbing though, she is shaking from the vibrations of his chest, and her hair is wet from his tears. She struggles out of his embrace and kisses him lightly on the forehead, whispering, "It'll be ok, you know. I'll make sure of it." He places a hand on the side of her face, gently caressing her cheek. She raises her hand and mirrors his actions, wiping away his tears as she does so. Then he leans in and plants a gentle kiss on her lips, murmuring, "You're so amazing." She kisses him back, then pulls away and hugs him again, before saying, "You have no idea how long I've wanted you to do that. But we need to go to Potions now."

As they walk down to the dungeons, Hermione explains quietly what Kingsley said, and tells him about the older Weasleys, all of whom are like brothers to her. When they arrive, she sits beside him without thinking. Ginny comes over, asking, "Hey, Mi? You not sitting with us today? I wanted to talk to you about Harry." She nods in agreement, and gathers her things; she makes to follow Ginny but Blaise stops her, taking all of the things out of her arms. He pulls her close to him and kisses her lovingly, before stepping back and sitting down, saying, "You can go now." As she picks up her stuff and murmurs, "Possessive much?" he gives a cheeky wink and turns to face Draco, beginning a conversation about Quidditch of all things. She rolls her eyes and goes over to where Ginny and Luna are sitting open mouthed.

"Oh. My. God. When did that happen?" Ginny exclaims excitedly and Luna squeezes her wrist tightly, squealing, "Have you slept with him yet? Ooh I bet he's good in bed." She smiles slightly, and her cheeks warm as she replies, "Like half an hour ago. So no, I haven't slept with him and I'll thank you not to have dirty thoughts about my…boyfriend? Is that right? Oh my god, I'm in a relationship with Blaise Zabini. Do you remember when we saw him for the first time, and all of us like swooned?" Ginny laughs loudly at the memory and Luna sighs happily, before gushing, "Tell us how it happened!" Hermione nods in consent and leans forward to explain the whole story, before catching herself and saying, "Only if you talk to me about Harry after. And Luna, what is going on with you and Neville?" Both girls blush but nod and they fall into a long lesson of girly gossip.

Across the room, Draco watches carefully as Hermione walks away and as soon as she is out of earshot, he asks hurriedly, "When did that start? I swear I saw you like two days ago and you were barely friends." Blaise narrows his eyes and thinks back before smiling and explaining, "We had a fight because she wanted to go out and get drunk. Or rather, I was pissed that she wanted to go out and get drunk because she warned me that she might bring a boy back. Then that night she went out, when she came crawling back at about 3, she made me get into bed with her and she told me that she wanted to go out with me, and she kissed me. But then in the morning she didn't remember it, but I asked her out for a meal, just as friends, and I had a great time; she's so funny. And then this morning, after that article, she made me go up the tower alone and it was overwhelming. I was upset and she comforted me, and her face was really close to mine and I kissed her. And she kissed me back. And she's mine now. So hands off, ok Draco?" Draco raises an eyebrow at this hostility and says, "I'm not interested in stealing your Mudblood off you. Yes she's gorgeous, but she's bookish and dull." Blaise smiles at his ignorance but disregards the provocation, instead asking, "So Draco? What's happening with you and Daphne?" Draco looks away pointedly but eventually answers the question.

Overall, nobody did much work that Potions lesson.


	5. Chapter 5

**THIS IS PURE SMUT, COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT TO THE PLOT. IF YOU DON'T LIKE, SKIP THE CHAPTER.**

5

That evening, Hermione bids Ginny and Luna goodnight early and goes up to her common room for dinner. When she enters, she finds Blaise already over by the stove and he smiles at her but doesn't come over to her. "Fancy some pasta?" he asks and she walks up behind him, slipping her arms around his waist and murmuring, "Of course." He smiles and turns in her arms so they're facing each other, before picking her up and hooking her legs round his waist. "I missed you," he murmurs and she smiles happily, before teasing, "I was only gone for one lesson – I still can't believe you don't do Charms by the way." He shakes his head and says, "Nope, we're not talking about school today. We're going to talk about you." She smiles and leans up, finally placing her lips on his. He puts her on the edge of the kitchen counter, finishes the pasta and then casts a spell on it before saying, "We can eat this later." She grins and he carries her over to the sofa, lying her down on it and straddling her, before kissing her again.

She hooks her arms around his neck, and kisses him back passionately. His hands move to the base of her vest and he pulls it over her head, separating only for a second before their lips come back together again. Her hands tug his shirt off while his hands fumble for the buttons on her shorts, removing them quickly. Now she is only in her underwear and heels and he sits back, drinking her in. She's wearing a lacy red bra and matching briefs and he lets out a small groan before kissing her again. They roll onto the floor, so she's on top of him and she speaks in between kisses, eventually getting out, "I think you're over-dressed." He gives a throaty chuckle and shimmies out of his shorts, revealing a distinct lack of underwear. She raises her eyebrows and he smirks, giving his trademark wink and pulling her back down onto him. They roll around on the floor for a few minutes before Hermione sits back and sexily unhooks her bra. He yanks it off impatiently and lets out another groan, full of lust. He quickly attaches his lips to her nipple, kissing and biting it single-mindedly. She wriggles in ecstasy as he switches to the other breast, and moans as he slides her lips down her stomach to the line of her panties.

He kisses her inner thighs gently, gradually growing closer and closer to her underwear, where a moist spot is growing larger and larger. When it seems Hermione might scream from anticipation, he places a light kiss on her vagina, over the briefs, and she whimpers. Abandoning all attempts to tease now, he tears her underwear away and begins to lick her obsessively. She moans repeatedly, squeezing her legs around his head to keep him in between her legs and after only a few minutes, she lets out an orgasmic scream, before loosening her hold. Nevertheless, he doesn't stop, continuing to lick determinedly. It is only when Hermione has been through three orgasms that he desists, pulling his head away and kissing her fervently. "Sorry," he murmurs, "It's just… you taste so good." She smiles and kisses him once, before aligning herself carefully.

"Are you sure?" he asks quietly, and she nods, replying, "I am sure of you." He practically beams before entering her gently. She lets out a small whimper of pain and he screws up his face in agony, hating to be the one hurting her. "Ok," she sighs eventually, "I'm ready." He kisses her hand once, murmuring an apology before forcing himself into her. She screams again and he stops but she shakes her head, gesturing him to keep going. He begins to thrust into her and he grunts as she moans until they lock eyes with each other and begin to orgasm together, his cum spurting inside her. "Oh my god," she groans passionately, "I love you." He nods in agreement and rolls over, allowing her to collapse on top of him. "I love you too, Mi," he murmurs but she is already asleep, exhausted.

He carries her up and puts her, still naked, in his bed. Then he goes downstairs, puts their food away, gathers their clothes, which he dumps in a corner, and clambers in beside her. Even when she's unconscious, she still moves closer to his warmth, wrapping both arms around him and putting her head on his chest. Blaise wraps his arms around her too and holds her close, savouring her presence there with him. He kisses her forehead gently and then settles down, ready to sleep.

Blaise wakes first the next morning, and slips neatly out of Hermione's embrace, going to have a shower. The water is warm and pounds around him, creating a mist. It's so hot that he doesn't notice the doors open and before he spins around, Hermione is on her knees in front of him with her mouth on his cock. He lets out a groan as her warm mouth engulfs his length and, putting both hands on the wall, he begins to fuck her face. She gags once but continues moving her tongue up and down his dick. Before long, he is cumming and warm cum spurts down her throat. She swallows the fourth load and stands, kissing him. He is overcome with lust and, as his hands move down her naked soaking wet body, he shoves her up against the wall and enters her. She screams in ecstasy and begins to ride him, both of them panting and moaning. She goes through several orgasms, but it is only when he unloads numerous loads of warm cum into her waiting pussy that he finally pulls out. They wash each other hurriedly, give a parting kiss and then he watches as Hermione walks into her room to get dressed.


	6. Chapter 6

6

They meet in the common room. Hermione is wearing a short green dress and Blaise is wearing a pair of jeans with a black jumper. They walk together down to breakfast, holding hands tightly. Whereas yesterday Hermione was concerned about exposing their relationship to the whole school, Blaise basically ruined that in Potions and they are both certain that everyone will know by now. When they enter the Great Hall, Hermione makes to walk away, waving back sweetly, but he catches her wrist, pulling her close to him and kissing her fervently. "When are you going to learn that you can't just walk away from me?" he says playfully and she gives him a shove, murmuring, "Love you," before waltzing off. As she walks to the Gryffindor table, at the far end of the hall, she feels everyone's eyes on her, and to her amusement, some of the smaller children are even standing on chairs to get a look at her.

When she sits down, Seamus teases, "Somebody had sex last night," and Hermione blushes but doesn't respond. Parvati tilts her head before saying knowingly, "And this morning, by the looks of it." Hermione goes even darker, but Ginny does not laugh, instead handing her a copy of this morning's Prophet. Plastered on the front page is a photo of Ron and Hermione together, with the title, 'BEFORE THE GOOD GIRL WENT BAD.' Hermione's mouth drops open and Ginny explains under her breath, "The interviews with Harry, George and that lot are all in there, on page 12. But Ron's interview condemning you was soooo interesting that it made the front page. I'm going to kill him." A voice from behind her makes her jump as he says, "Not if I get there first."

Blaise slips in to sit beside her, grabbing the paper and reading the article carefully. His mouth hardens into a line and he simply points to one sentence on the page, reading, 'Miss Granger claims she is not in a relationship at the moment, but if photos of her rolling around on the floor with the Head Boy are anything to go by, things are getting serious.' His hands are shaking with rage and Hermione looks devastated, so he puts an arm around her shoulder and murmurs something no one else can hear. She nods and her face hardens. She places a light kiss on his lips and then disappears out of the hall, yanking Blaise with her. Ginny follows, chasing after them in the hall. Hermione takes her hand gratefully and drags them along with her.

As soon as they enter the common room, Hermione disappears into the fire. She reappears only seconds later and says, "Harry's dealing with it." She leads Blaise over to the sofa and curls up beside him, murmuring something which makes him laugh. He buries his head in her hair, and she puts her head on his shoulder comfortably. They look so at home together that Ginny feels awkward to be around their intimacy and sits on the edge of her seat, ready to get up at a moment's notice.

A few long minutes later, Harry steps out of the fire and Ginny flies into his arms, embracing him tightly. He hugs back, overjoyed to see her, but over her shoulder, his eyes lock with Hermione, who is still in Blaise's embrace. She pouts slightly but pulls away as George comes through the fire and hugs his sister close, before moving back to the fire and tugging another redhead through. Ron stands in front of them, looking completely dishevelled and is quickly shoved out of the way by Charlie and Bill. Molly Weasley appears soon after and embraces the two girls. Hermione then steps in front of Blaise protectively and it takes everyone a moment to realise that she is more concerned about Blaise attacking Ronald. She murmurs something to Blaise, who relaxes slightly but his fists are still balled up and he looks ready to swing for the youngest Weasley brother. Ron steps forward, grabbing Hermione's wrists tightly and asking, "Please, Hermione, please?" Hermione looks confused but she can't restrain a wince. Blaise steps forward now and says coldly, "I am only going to tell you this once. Keep your filthy hands off her, you traitor." It looks like it is about to descend into a full-on fist fight when Kingsley finally steps through and he conjures a table for them to all sit around. Ron is forced into a seat at one end, and George summons shackles to hold him in place. Kingsley sits at the other end, while Molly and Hermione sit beside him. Blaise sits beside Hermione and holds her hand under the table, while Bill sits down next to Molly. Charlie and Harry sit in the chairs next to Ron, leaving George and Ginny to sit in the middle, away from Ron, who they both glare at murderously.

"Well, Ronald? Have you anything to say in your defence?" Ginny says accusingly, and Harry puts a hand on her arm, warning her to keep her temper. Ron goes scarlet with anger, his face clashing magnificently with his hair, and spits, "She's dating a Slytherin. She's sleeping with the Slytherin scum. I've seen the proof! I've seen the pictures! How are any of you ok with this?"

Blaise flies to his feet, roaring, "Oi. Watch who you're calling scum," but Hermione yanks his arm and he retakes his seat, closer to her than before. "Whatever your beliefs, Ronald," she says, full of contempt, "It is less than none of your business who I am in a relationship with. You dumped me anyway; I don't see why you care." Ron screws his face up as if in great agony and admits quietly, "That was a mistake, Mi. I love you so much. Please take me back." She widens her eyes and a surprised smirk crosses her face as she says, "No. No, I don't love you. I love Blaise. I didn't realise how much until just now." Blaise smiles and leans down, kissing her warmly, before murmuring something that no one else can hear.

Molly smiles wanly and reaches across the table, patting her hand and saying, "I'm glad you found someone, dear. You're like a daughter to me, as you well know, and I'll be happy with whoever you choose." George sends a cheeky wink in her direction, but there's a hint of pain in his smile, and both Bill and Charlie give a reassuring nod, but Ron wrenches his hands out of the shackles and flies over to her, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her, while shouting, "Get this into your head – he's bad news." Her head jolts back and hits the chair and Blaise lets out a roar of fury, getting to his feet. He cries angrily, "Strike Three," and punches Ron in the face, before whipping out his wand and cursing him. Everyone watches as Ron flies across the room straight into the wall, where ropes snake around him, tying him in the place. Everyone gapes at Blaise, but he ignores them, moving to Hermione's side and examining her head carefully. He heals the bump growing there and pulls her into a tight embrace, before asking, "Are you ok? Don't feel like you're concussed? Oh my god, I'm sorry, I should have known this would happen."

She frowns and caresses his cheek, replying, "There is no way you could have known." He places a light kiss on her forehead and says, "I want you to go and lie down. I'll deal with this and then bring you some tea, ok?" She rolls her eyes but obeys him, walking slowly towards the staircase. When she reaches the bottom, he calls her name and she turns back questioningly, to which his whole face softens and he says tenderly, "I love you." She nods, gives a small smile and then disappears up the stairs.

When Blaise turns back to them, his eyes are dark and he sits back down with an air of danger surrounding him. He turns to Kingsley and says, "You promised her that everything would be ok. She trusted you and then this happened. You lied to her. What are you going to do to fix it?" Kingsley raises an eyebrow at the boy's blatant insolence but does not pick up on it, instead summoning a piece of parchment and marking out a plan. Blaise takes it when he has finished and everyone watches as his hand flies across the paper, crossing things out, making amendments and adding new ideas. He hands back to Kingsley and says, "Make sure it's done. She's had it hard enough without this." Kingsley nods and disappears into the fire, as Blaise turns on the Weasleys.

"I know you have suffered a great loss in the last few months alone, and believe me when I say I am sympathetic towards you. Hermione cries a great deal over Fred's death, and I know she loves you all very much. But let me warn you now. If that pile of shit over there," he breaks off now and waves his wand at Ron. The ropes break and Ron crumples to the floor. "If that pile of shit over there puts one more toe out of line, your family will be mourning a second loss. Have I made myself clear?" They all look at him wide-eyed and Molly looks as though she is about to cry, but George sticks out his hand, replying, "Crystal. And let me tell you, if the filth messes up again, I'll be fighting you off to get to him first." Ginny, Harry, Bill and Charlie all murmur in agreement.

Blaise gives a true smile now and says, "Looking forward to it. Well thank you very much for all coming down. I'm only sorry we had to meet on such dreadful terms. I'm not normally so violent, it's just…It's Mi, you know? I hate to see her in pain." Harry claps him on the shoulder and gives him a reassuring squeeze, and everyone gets up to leave.

George shakes his hand firmly, asking almost desperately, "Protect her, won't you? I love her like a sister. And if you ever hurt her, I will end you. Oh, and tell her I'll write her next week."

Charlie gives a warm handshake and explains gently, "Hermione became very close to us after Fr- I mean her parents…so believe me, we care about her just as much as you. You don't have to fight for her alone, mate, we'll always be here."

Bill gives a jaunty wave and says, "Tell Mi that I love her lots, of course. I'll write to her on Tuesday about the goblins; she'll be dying to hear about the plans they're making. Be good to her, Blaise, she deserves the best."

Harry detaches himself from Ginny long enough to shake his hand and promise, "I'll keep Ron in line. He actually does care about her, and wants to see her happy – he just can't see that she's happy with you. He'll come around in time. Tell Mione that I'll write to her tomorrow – I want to take her out sometime." He then kisses Ginny one more time, before promising to visit her soon and stepping into the fire. Ginny locks eyes with Blaise, eyes brimming with tears, says hurriedly, "I'll come up later," and disappears. Blaise is pretty sure he hears her sob as she jumps through the portrait hole.

Molly Weasley is the last to go, carrying an almost unconscious Ron with her. "Take care of Hermione, won't you? She needs someone she can rely on, who can be by her side every second of the day. And that's you right now, Blaise." He nods, kisses her cheek lightly, makes an obscene finger gesture at Ron, and walks up the stairs to where Hermione is lying on the floor. Her eyes are wide open and moving around, so he calmly lies beside her, linking his fingers through hers.

"What are you doing?" he asks, and she turns her head to look at him. She raises her other hand to trace patterns on his chest as she admits, "Thinking. I've been really selfish, you know. I've never asked you about what happened to you in the war." He rolls over so he's on his side, facing her, and says, "When I'm ready to tell you, I will. You don't need to ask me; I'll share when I'm ready." She smiles and sits up, rolling up her sleeve, as she says, "Do you want to know why I forgave Draco?" Blaise nods, sitting up. She shows him her arm, where the word 'Mudblood' has been carved into it. "Draco saved my life. I was tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange, but if he had been honest and told her who I was, she would have killed me. I hate him for what he did to me in school, but when we entered the real world... It's ridiculous to not forgive him for a few catty comments when I've faced so much worse." Blaise strokes the scars gently, his angry tears dropping onto her arm. She lifts his chin so their eyes lock and she murmurs, "I'm ok." He nods and pulls her into a searing kiss.

**IF YOU DON'T LIKE LEMON STOP READING NOW**

They fall back to the floor, so Hermione is lying on top of Blaise and he slides his hands down her body, past her breasts, to rest on her bum. He slips them down further, to the hem of her dress, and he glides them under her dress to discover that she is wearing no underwear. He raises an eyebrow and she kisses his neck sexily. He shoves two fingers into her hole and watches her face as she lets out a groan of pure joy. He pumps them furiously, pulling her dress off with the other hand and sucking on her breasts. She moans loudly, biting down on his shoulder to restrain herself. It takes only a few minutes before she is cumming noisily. He removes his fingers and sticks them in his mouth, licking all the cum off them before lying back and pulling Hermione to sit on his face.

He begins to eat her out, shoving his tongue deep into her pussy. Meanwhile, Hermione leans forward and, unbuttoning his jeans and sliding them off, takes the whole of his length in her mouth, engulfing his member greedily. She sucks it, sliding her tongue up and down and fondling his balls. He groans into her pussy and the vibrations cause her to start orgasming again. As he feels her cum in his mouth, he cums as well, his warm load spurting down her throat. She rolls off him and lies naked on the floor, until he picks her up and places her gracefully on the bed. As he makes to walk away, she places both arms around his neck and whispers seductively, "Fuck me."

He immediately straddles her and, using his arms to support his weight, he slides into her. As they are pumping harder and faster than ever before, he reaches down and rubs her clit as they go, causing her to scream with ecstasy. She cums quicker than normal, and since he is keen to see her cum again, he sucks on her neck, leaving marks all over her body. As he sucks on her nipple, biting gently, she screams again, gushing out, and the tightening of her vagina squeezes his dick, making him spurt inside her. Both exhausted, he doesn't even bother to pull out and they fall asleep like that.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning they wake up and Hermione goes to the bathroom. When she comes back, Blaise is fully dressed and he gives her a good morning kiss before saying, "I'll make you some breakfast." He stands by the stove, cooking up some pancakes, when Draco enters. "Breakfast for three?" he asks and Blaise rolls his eyes but nods, pouring in some more batter. Just then Hermione enters in a vest and pants, exclaiming, "Look at this!" He spins to face her and bursts out laughing as he sees what she is pointing to. There are hickeys all over her neck and chest and from the looks of them, they are un-healable. "How did you do this?" she cries but Blaise cannot answer; he can barely breathe for laughing. Draco looks from one to the other and then begins to roar as well, as Hermione shrieks, "It's not funny," before disappearing up to her room. She emerges minutes later, wearing a red turtleneck and a pair of high-waisted jeans with ugg boots and a gilet, makes an obscene finger gesture in the boys' direction and flounces out.

Hermione vindictively ignores him for the whole day, making a big show of fussing over Dean, Seamus and Neville, just to spite him. Sure enough, he gets angrier and angrier until when she puts one hand on Dean's chest when he makes her laugh, Blaise has had enough. He grabs Draco, Theodore Nott and a group of 7th year Slytherins and takes them back to his common room, where they get drunk. Hermione, despite her show of ignorance, notices when he disappears and after spending a couple of hours with her friends in other houses, who she has been neglecting, she slinks back to their common room.

When the portrait hole swings open, Hermione gives a massive eye roll as she is pulled through. Blaise forces his lips on hers, breath stinking of alcohol, and she quickly shoves him away. "If this is how you're going to respond to every single fight, you can forget it. I'm going to do some work," she says angrily. Blaise widens his eyes and replies furiously, "As opposed to you? Who just ignored me all day, playing up to other boys to get to me? Real mature, Hermione, seriously. You should give lessons. Or maybe you should give lessons on being a whore." The sarcasm bites and then that catty comment, that crosses the unwritten line, pushes Hermione too far and her hand snakes out and slaps him round the face. "Stop drinking, you child! All of you get out of here! I need to work!"

She storms up to her room and locks the door, before throwing herself face down on the bed. Blaise simply uses the bathroom door and walks in, angrily shouting, "Oi! I wasn't finished! Who the fuck are you to tell me to stop drinking? You're not my mother, you're my girlfriend! You're supposed to be drinking with me, letting me hold your hair back when you puke! That's what we're supposed to be doing, Mi, not fighting like an old married couple!"

She flushes bright red and tears roll down her cheeks as she shrieks, "Sorry if I'm not a normal nineteen year old, Blaise! You know full well I've faced stuff no nineteen year old should ever have to face, and I'm sorry if I can't just forget about that and go back to being a typical teenager. But I can't. I'm older than my years, I know that. I had to obliviate my parents and make them forget who I was, and then watch as the last of the Death Eaters tortured them to death anyway. I faced torture of my own and watched as someone I loved took a knife that was meant for me. I've killed people, tortured people, so no I can't get drunk with you and pretend that I'm a normal teenager who's lived a normal life because I'M NOT. I tried moving on, you know that. I went out and got drunk and look how that turned out. I ended up on the front of the Daily Prophet. So I can't do it; I can't be normal. And I hate it."

He stares at her, eyes wide, before replying softly, "I wouldn't love you if you were. You're beautiful, funny and kind, like so many nineteen year olds. But you're also brave, strong, clever, loyal and fierce. And it's those qualities that I most love about you. I know you've tortured people, killed people, and I hate that you've had to go through it, I really do. But you're no worse a person for it, because you had to. Everyone had to, Mi, and it's made you stronger. We can make it through anything, you and me. Promise."

Floods of tears are still pouring down her cheeks as she asks gently, "What happened to you in the war?" He blinks at her for a few moments before walking over and sitting down on the edge of the bed. "I didn't want to be on Voldemort's side. I didn't believe his views, I'd heard too many rumours and I didn't want him to win the war. But my family weren't having it. Claiming it was for my own good, they locked me in the basement of my house for six months straight. It was cold, dark and damp, and I had very little food for all that time. If Snape hadn't have found me, I would have died down there. But on my way back to Hogwarts with Snape, I was captured by a group of Squibs who supported Voldemort. They stuck me in a tank of water and electrocuted me for fun. That went on for about a week before they could get me out. After the war ended, I had to go through about 9 weeks of intensive therapy because I had developed phobias of water and the dark, plus I was starved and the electricity had affected my magic. I was a mess. It wasn't pretty. But I turned it around eventually and I'm never going back to that place. I don't speak to my family at all. Which is why I'm happy to have you. Because you're my family now."

Tears were streaming down her cheeks as he told his story and now she wipes them away, moving to the mirror and fixing her make-up, saying as she goes, "I'm really sorry, you know. I'm sorry we couldn't stop him sooner. I'm sorry your family were so awful to you. I'm sorry we fought. But I want you to know that no matter how many rows we have, you will always be the person I love the most. You're my family too." He walks over to her and kisses her ardently.


	8. Chapter 8

8

The next morning Blaise wakes first and clambers out of bed. He packs a bag, has a quick shower and dresses hurriedly, before rushing down to the kitchen. Before he can get out of the portrait hole, however, Hermione appears at the bottom of the stairs, sleepily rubbing her eyes and asking, "Where are you going, love?" He sighs and walks over to her, taking her in his arms. He's all too aware of her scantily-clad form pressed up against his body and so the hug is brief before he pulls away and explains, "I need to go home for a few days, get all my papers in order, so I am officially free of my parents. I have a couple of belongings to collect too, but I'll be back in no time at all." Her eyebrows shoot up as she grips his hand tightly, as if to try and stop him leaving, and says, "Blaise, please tell me you weren't going to leave without saying goodbye?" He flushes slightly and explains, "I thought it would be easier." She rolls her eyes, kisses him passionately and murmurs, "Well, I'm going to miss you. Hurry back to me." He nods in response and hurries out before she can persuade him not to go.

The next few days pass too slowly for Hermione. She finds herself unable to sleep without his arms around her and everything is too much effort. She spends a lot of time with her Gryffindors, but even Dean's jokes fail to cheer her up and she can't help but count the hours until he returns. The day he is due to return, she stays in the Entrance Hall all day, pacing slowly back and forth. Finally, at about 1 o'clock, he walks in and she lets out a piercing shriek before sprinting across the hall and throwing herself into his arms. He picks her up and spins her around, hooking her legs around his waist and kissing her passionately. They stay entwined for several minutes, not even coming up for air, until Professor McGonagall comes into the Entrance Hall and practically forces them to separate. From the stairs, Ginny and the others are roaring with laughter as Hermione blushes scarlet, seemingly remembering for the first time that she is in public. Blaise looks very smug indeed and puts an arm around her neck, crushing her to his chest and whispering into her hair. McGonagall clears her throat and says, "Mr Zabini, maybe you would like to return to your quarters? Miss Granger needs to get something to eat so she will join you later." Hermione scowls but allows herself to be dragged into the Great Hall, while Blaise winks at her and then makes his way upstairs.

By the time Blaise enters the Great Hall, the whole school knows about their display. Nevertheless, it comes as a shock to everyone when he walks to the far end of the hall and sits neatly next to Hermione, linking his fingers through hers and kissing her single-mindedly. "They're gonna swallow each other," Neville says in awe and Ginny chuckles before coughing, "Still in public." Finally they come up for air and Hermione returns hungrily to her food, now sitting on Blaise's lap. Dean explains to a confused Blaise, "She hasn't eaten since you left." Hermione turns her death glare on him, but it's too late and Blaise is looking at her furiously. "I'm never going away again," he says resignedly, and she rolls her eyes but says, "Suits me," kissing him again. Parvati groans jealously and everyone roars with laughter, even Blaise and Hermione.

When Hermione has moved onto pudding, Blaise says calmly, "Mi and I would like to have you all for dinner tomorrow. We're having something of a dinner party, and several people will be there. A nice formal evening for everyone to have fun and mix together a bit more." Hermione looks unsurprised; however everyone else's eyebrows shoot up. Ginny asks, "Who would be there?" and Blaise smiles disarmingly before replying, "Draco and Theo, Harry, George, Bill, Charlie, Percy, both your parents, Kingsley, and a few teachers. In addition, Daphne, Susan, Hannah, Cho, Luna, Padma, you, Dean, Seamus, Neville, Parvati and Dennis. Plus anyone else who would like to attend in our year – anyone younger is strictly invitation only." All the Gryffindors are looking excited now and Parvati and Ginny immediately begin to discuss what they're going to wear. Dean asks, "What we having?" Hermione beams and Blaise smirks at her expression before saying simply, "I'm cooking." She kisses him lightly and then gets up, saying, "Hope to see you all there, at 7. Love you," before walking away, dragging Blaise along beside her. They watch them go enviously: her head is on his shoulder and her arm is around his waist, while his arm is comfortably on her shoulder, holding her close in a way that's almost protective. They look perfect together.

The next day, after a whole night of making up lost time, Hermione sends Blaise off to the common room to start setting up. When he takes her a coffee at about two, he is amazed at the way her room has been transformed, practically into a salon. He is about to comment when he hears giggling downstairs and Cho, Luna, Ginny, Daphne, Hannah, Susan, Parvati and Padma walk in, all laden with stuff. They squeal as they enter and Blaise immediately leaves the room, catching Hermione's cheeky kiss as he goes.

At about 6, he heads up to his room to change and sticks his head in the door to see all the girls in their underwear. Hermione gives him a wave from across the room, where she is doing Ginny's hair, and Luna winks at him from the floor, where she is doing Cho's make-up. Clothes are strewn around the room and bottles of everything are lying randomly on the floor. He rolls his eyes and swiftly exits, dressing quickly and hurrying back to the kitchen.


End file.
